Hi I am totally new to touring caravans and pretty clueless on towing weights.
Our car is a 2016 Ford focus 1.0 Ecoboost automatic petrol model, we have checked out a couple on Autotrader and one in particular is a 2 berth 2016 lunar Cosmos MTPLM: 965kg.
In your opinion is our car suitable for towing this particular caravan and given the fact that our car is automatic what should we expect handling wise.
Thanks in advance.
Andy
Just done a quick match on the C&MC site and it shows the match to be acceptable. If you stick to the weights you should be OK, stability shouldn`t be a problem if your suspension is in decent nick and you load the van carefully and correctly. Don`t expect the outfit to be a ball of fire, but if it`s your first time you should take your time anyway.
Quote: Originally posted by AndyScott21 on 16/11/2021
Hi I am totally new to touring caravans and pretty clueless on towing weights.
Our car is a 2016 Ford focus 1.0 Ecoboost automatic petrol model, we have checked out a couple on Autotrader and one in particular is a 2 berth 2016 lunar Cosmos MTPLM: 965kg.
In your opinion is our car suitable for towing this particular caravan and given the fact that our car is automatic what should we expect handling wise.
Thanks in advance.
Andy
Post last edited on 16/11/2021 05:44:00
That caravan is about the same weight as mine and I tow mine with a 2 litre diesel X Trail which hardly knows it's there. I'm not sure I want to try towing it with a 1 litre petrol engined car though, but that may be just me. I like to have plenty in reserve, especially when tackling steep hills. I'm sure your car would pull it, but I think it may struggle on hills and in strong head-winds. People often underestimate how much effect a good head-wind makes. I once towed a caravan with an old VW van and it was fine on the level with hardly any wind, but as soon as I turned into a head-wind I couldn't get it above third gear.
JuanHuNose may well be correct, however it is your responsibility as the driver of the car to verify it for yourself, and it's easily done.
Start by looking at your car's VIN plate, which will either be on one of the door pillars or under the bonnet. This will include four weights, and you need only be concerned about the first two of these. The first is the maximum permitted weight of the car when fully loaded. The second is the maximum permissible weight of the car and a trailer combined. Subtract the first figure from the second to get the towing limit - your caravan should not weigh more than this.
It doesn't matter if internet sites or even your car's brochure give different weights - the ones on the actual car are the ones that legally take precedence.
Also double check the car's kerb weight (or mass in service) which should be on the V5 document. The advice of the caravanning industry is that your caravan should not weigh more than the car's kerb weight, even if the towing limit allows it. There's also a long-standing recommendation that for those new to towing, a caravan should not weigh more than about 85% of the car's kerb weight (though this is crude at best and a few 10s of kgs more is something that is highly unlikely to make any difference in practice). Note also that this is advisory only and has no legal basis.
------------- "Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect."
Our first caravan was about the same weight which we towed with a Vauxhall Zafira with a 1.8 petrol engine. Due to the fact that petrol engines lack the torque needed for towing I was constantly shifting up and down the gears plus fuel wise was very thirsty as I was achieving around 25 mpg. when towing. To be quite frank, I was glad when we changed to a Ford Focus 1.6 diesel because although it was a smaller engine the pulling power and fuel consumption was much better. What you have to remember is that it's not just about pulling power but going down hill as well because the weight of the caravan will nudge the rear of the car. The difference between a petrol and a diesel engine to put it in a nut shell is like comparing a donkey to a horse.
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Topic: Towing with Ford focus 1.0 Ecoboost
via mobile 16/11/2021 at 5:40am
